Mochikuni Akai
Mochikuni Akai (赤井 持国 Akai Mochikuni) was a senior pilot and a leader of the Akai squad. He and his entire squadron were annihilated after facing Gauna 487. Personality & Character For being one of the ship's best and most successful Garde pilots, Akai was laid back, and friendly. He was very cordial with Tanikaze, inviting him and Izana to the sea with his team. When he accidentally trips Tanikaze, he offered to help him and apologized. In the Gravity Festival, even in victory over the arrogant Norio Kunato, he quietly enjoyed his victory without bragging. He also enjoyed seeing younger pilots succeed. In his relationship with Hinata Momose, he was gentle and caring, and he even gave his life for her. In spite of all his skill, he was eager to learn from Tanikaze's experience and training, showing great humility. Skills & Abilities As a senior gardes pilot, Akai was one of the most skilled pilot fighters on Sidonia. He holds the longest record of wins in the Gravity Festival gardes competition. However, most of this skill stemmed from virtual gauna combat and competing in the Gravity Festival, all of which proved insufficient for his first, disastrous encounter with a Gauna. Image & Appearance Akai wore the standard issue pilot skin suit. However when he went to the sea he wore a dress uniform. His hair is long and black, similar to Tanikaze's but without a cowlick. History Early Days & Gravity Festival Little is known about Akai prior to the series' start, but he was a top student at the academy along with his squad and he was dating Hinata Momose (fellow squad mate). During the Gravity Festival, he easily brought down Kunato in gardes combat with a clever trick. Instead of dodging Kunato's ruthless attacks, he stepped into the attack, forcing Kunato to overstep himself. Akai then brought up his spear and laid Kunato flat on his back, to much applause from the crowd. Akai Squad Vs Gauna 487 & Death When Gauna 487 attacked Tanikaze's mining team, Akai squad was summoned and dispatched to kill it. The team arrived, and successfully blasted the Gauna's ena with Heigus Cannons until the core was exposed. Then everything went wrong. As they prepared to attack, Momose was grabbed by the Gauna and Akai broke off his attack to go rescue her. As the deadly tentacles came in to finish her off, he valiantly cut her free, but was killed by the attack intended for her. Within minutes the whole elite team was dead. Hinata Momose was emotionally compromised and ruined the surviving squad's planned attack; they all died because of Momose. A funeral was held and the squad was mourned back on Sidonia. Tanikaze would later help defeat the Gauna, helping those who mourned for the lose of Akai Squad have closure. Notes & Trivia *"Aka" (赤) means "red" in Japanese. *Akai claimed he was more afraid of Momose's father than he was afraid of a Gauna. This was shown in his valiant battle to protect his love (Momose) in the battle with 487 at the cost of his own life. *Akai's call number is 001, making him the top ranking Garde pilot on the ship. *His name Mochikuni is a translation from the Buddhist king of heaven Dhrita-rastra, which means protector of the kingdom. *While Akai's encounter with 487 was a complete disaster, his strategy employed in the Gravity Festival would inspire Tanikaze in his own fight with the same enemy. Tanikaze used the same basic principle of stepping into the attack, leaving the enemy vulnerable, and the killing blow was delivered. Articles & References Links Category:Characters Category:Deceased